What is the standard definition of latency?

What is the standard definition of latency?

• A. The time it takes for a single bit to travel from sender to receiver.
• B. The time it takes for a signal to propagate from one point to another.
• C. The total data that can be transmitted per second.
• D. The probability of errors in transmission.

Answer: (A)

Latency is the delay experienced from the moment data starts moving to the moment it arrives at the destination. In its simplest form, it’s the time it takes for a single bit to travel from the sender to the receiver. This captures the stay of a bit in transit across the network. This helps distinguish latency from other ideas: bandwidth is the amount of data that can be sent per second, not how long it takes a bit to arrive; the likelihood of errors is about reliability; and propagation delay is specifically the travel time of the signal itself. The definition that focuses on the time for a single bit to reach the destination best aligns with how latency is described in this context.

Latency is the delay experienced from the moment data starts moving to the moment it arrives at the destination. In its simplest form, it’s the time it takes for a single bit to travel from the sender to the receiver. This captures the stay of a bit in transit across the network.

This helps distinguish latency from other ideas: bandwidth is the amount of data that can be sent per second, not how long it takes a bit to arrive; the likelihood of errors is about reliability; and propagation delay is specifically the travel time of the signal itself. The definition that focuses on the time for a single bit to reach the destination best aligns with how latency is described in this context.